Spokane-area pilgrims to celebrate the feast of St. James

Do you hunger for the experience of a lifetime? Are you willing to endure a bit of sweat, maybe some blisters? Maybe a bunch of blisters? Do you have a month or a bit more to spend walking in the hot sun? Or even a few weeks? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, please join other pilgrims and those interested in the pilgrim way at the second annual Pilgrims’ Mass, Blessing and Dinner at Spokane’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church on July 16. Events begin at 5 p.m. in celebration of the feast of St. James, the Apostle.

The purpose of this event, according to Sacred Heart Parish Pastor Father Kevin Codd (himself a true “pilgrim” who has walked 1,600 miles of the Camino as it wends its way through Belgium, France and Spain), is to bring together our local pilgrim community, joyfully celebrate the feast of St. James the Apostle and further develop our pilgrim fraternity in the Spokane area.

If one were to look at a map of the various routes that spread across the European continent, it would resemble a continental river system, with many smaller tributaries flowing into ever larger ones and finally leading all to its final goal: the holy city of Santiago de Compostela. There are hundreds of ancient routes beginning in every corner of Europe, but all flow eventually to Compostela. Today’s pilgrims may pick up “the Way” almost anywhere, but many begin at the French-Spanish frontier village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees. Others walk from “home,” wherever home may be. Father Codd first walked the Spanish route from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, but followed that a few years later by walking from his “hometown” at the time, Leuven (Louvain), Belgium, where he was serving as rector of the American College Seminary. His book,
To The Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Compostela, relates his adventures along the Camino in Spain and has become a modern classic in the world of pilgrim literature. It is a thoroughly enjoyable account of the daily trials and tribulations accompanying the pilgrim as he/she puts one foot in front of the other. A follow-up book relating his adventures through Belgium and France awaits publication.

As Father Codd notes, a pilgrimage is a spiritual journey as much as a physical one. Pilgrims travel not so much from village to village as from church to church, each holy site being a place of prayer, intercession and reflection. As one experiences the physical and emotional stresses of the journey, as well as its many joys, the pilgrim draws closer to God and the things of God, leaving behind not just past miles, but past heartaches, fears and sins. It is a purifying experience, and one that leaves the pilgrim more free to love God and others. Christian pilgrimages were originally made to places associated with the birth, death and life of Jesus, but soon, other sites associated with the apostles or Mary became hallowed destinations for Christian pilgrims. There are many such pilgrim destinations. Jerusalem and Rome have always been the most significant, followed by Santiago de Compostela because of its fame as the traditional burial place of James the Greater. Pilgrims have been making their way to his tomb in Compostela since at least the ninth century, if not much earlier.
Many have walked the way of St. James to fulfill promises to God or a favored saint, in gratitude for prayers answered or to be forgiven some grave wrongdoing. Even today, a young person from Belgium or France who has had some trouble with the law can erase the misdeed from his record by walking the Camino and presenting a “Credential” to the legal authorities back home to prove that he/she has completed the task and deserves forgiveness.

Last year, Spokane’s very first Pilgrims’ Mass and Dinner was attended by more than 210 “pilgrims,” 39 of whom would soon be heading to Europe to attempt “the way” for themselves. They were blessed by Father Codd with the traditional prayer that has been in use for centuries in France and Spain and were gifted with the conch shell that is now the universal pilgrim “identity badge.” The grooves in the shell represent the various routes one can take, all converging on Santiago. As one poet wrote: “As the waves of the ocean wash up scallop shells onto the shores of Galicia, God’s hand also guides the pilgrims to Santiago.” Pilgrims wear the shell on their backpacks or attached to their clothing to signify that they are, indeed, upon a sacred pilgrimage. Upon seeing the shell identifying the stranger as a pilgrim, Spanish locals will call out “¡Buen Camino!” (“Good Way!”), or, in France, “Courage!” in support of their effort to complete this great mission in their lives.

If your curiosity is piqued, then please know you are most welcome to join us for our Pilgrims’ Mass, Blessing and Dinner. The event is free of charge, though donations will be gladly accepted at dinner. Moreover, our own “Spokane to Santiago” T-shirts and new Spokane Pilgrim Fraternity patches will be available for sale. We also now have a “Spokane Pilgrim Fraternity” seal to be stamped in pilgrims’ credentials, (a sort of passport for pilgrims as they walk along — each church or village stamping it along the way). As always, “wanna-be” pilgrims will have a chance to ask questions and seek practical information from seasoned veterans.

ATTEND THE DINNER

RSVP for the event to santiagospokane@gmail.com, or call us at 509.448.9736 or 509.747.5810.